New Delhi: Tension flared up at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Sunday following a heated verbal exchange between rival student groups—just two days after the university’s Election Committee (EC) suspended the student union polls. The suspension was prompted by an alleged assault on EC members last Thursday, plunging the campus into political upheaval and casting uncertainty over the electoral process.
On Thursday evening, the EC met members of the Left, who alleged that individuals from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had turned violent earlier that day during the nomination withdrawal period.
The situation escalated further after the EC extended the withdrawal deadline from 16 to 17 April, citing administrative delays. The new window was set for 2 pm to 4 pm, but the process began 15 minutes late, leading many to assume the deadline would be extended to 4:15 pm. When that did not occur, protests broke out from both the Left groups and the ABVP.
Consequently, several candidates were unable to officially withdraw their nominations, and the final list was released shortly afterwards—leaving many within the Left faction feeling disenfranchised and excluded from the proper procedure.
Amid the growing unrest, the EC opened another withdrawal window on 18 April, from 2 pm to 2:30 pm, which only exacerbated tensions. Amid the chaos, barricades were torn down, glass panes at the EC office were smashed, and multiple committee members reported feeling unsafe. In response, the EC postponed the elections until further notice, later announcing that polling would now take place on 25 April. In the latest development, the elections have, for now, been deferred.
While Left-aligned student organisations accused the ABVP of instigating violence, the latter denied all allegations and shifted the blame elsewhere.
Aprajitha Raja, a former JNU student and member of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), told ThePrint, “ABVP members resorted to violence, throwing stones at the JNUSU office and shattering windows. A meeting was underway inside when the attack occurred, prompting the EC to halt the process at 4 pm, citing safety concerns.”
However, Rajeshwar Kant Dubey, president of ABVP’s JNU unit, rejected the accusations, instead alleging that former JNUSU president Dhananjay from the All India Students’ Association (AISA) had been coercing the EC. “We have video evidence. It was the AISA-led panel that tried to strong-arm the EC. We, the ABVP, resisted their undemocratic pressure. They were the ones who damaged the windows,” he told ThePrint.
Responding to the claims, Dhananjay dismissed the ABVP’s account of events. “This is an absolute lie. We only made a formal request to the EC—there was no pressure. These are baseless accusations meant to derail the election process because they know they are losing. We won’t let that happen,” he said.
Also Read: How Left student leaders from JNU & Allahabad University have emerged as key members of Team Priyanka
Left front splinters ahead of JNUSU polls; new ‘Left-Ambedkarite’ alliance forms
In a notable political development ahead of this year’s JNUSU elections, the long-standing partnership between the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the AISA, affiliated with the CPI (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation, has fractured.
AISA has now entered into a separate alliance with the Democratic Students’ Front (DSF), while the SFI on Saturday announced a new coalition with the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), and the Progressive Students’ Association (PSA). This new grouping is presenting itself as the united ‘Left-Ambedkarite’ alliance.
Tayyaba Ahmed, the presidential candidate from BAPSA who is heading the newly formed panel, described the alliance as a “panel of struggle.” Speaking to ThePrint, she said, “We believe that under the BJP-RSS’s casteist, Islamophobic, and Brahminical approach, the ABVP mirrors the same ideology—one rooted in violence and hatred. JNU is under attack; there are fund cuts.”
Last year, a united Left front defeated the ABVP in the 2024 JNUSU elections. However, this internal split has raised questions about whether the Left can retain its dominance this time around.
Aman, Joint Secretary of the SFI’s Delhi unit, expressed disappointment over the rift. “It’s disheartening to see the Left front divided,” he told ThePrint.
Despite the fragmentation, the SFI maintains that the new alliance is more than an electoral compromise—it is based on a foundation of shared activism. Referring to movements such as the #ShutDownDos protest in March—when students occupied the Dean of Students’ office to demand immediate election notifications—the alliance has accused the ABVP and university administration of forming an “authoritarian nexus.” Its stated goal is to create a collective platform for progressive and marginalised voices on campus.
What opponents are saying about the new alliance
As the JNUSU elections unfold with the emergence of two competing Left fronts, political friction continues to grow across the university.
Reacting to the AISA-DSF coalition and the broader Left schism, Shikha Swaraj, ABVP’s presidential candidate, told ThePrint, “It’s a democracy—everyone has the right to their own opinions and disagreements. However, there should be some common ground. The Left doesn’t truly believe in democracy. If they are invoking democratic values now just to stay relevant, it’s worth asking—why did they split in the first place if they were genuinely committed to their ideology?”
Meanwhile, Dhananjay, AISA leader and outgoing JNUSU president from last year’s united Left panel, dismissed the newly minted Left-Ambedkarite alliance as unstable and inconsistent. “We (AISA-DSF) view them as a strategic failure,” he told ThePrint.
“A section of BAPSA that has historically opposed SFI is now aligned with them purely for electoral advantage. It’s a complete contradiction. Their approach appears highly opportunistic.”
Kartikay Chaturvedi is an intern who graduated from ThePrint School of Journalism.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Also Read: JNU wasn’t part of Nehru’s vision. It was supposed to be called Raisina University
